We kicked off this past winter break with a celebration for the opening of our brand new Wonder of Reading Library.  The theme of the event was “Lights, Camera, Library,” and the stars came out to celebrate!  Guests included Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz (Principal Furfari!), Charlie Chaplin (coordinator Ms. Missoni!), Harpo Marx (student Jessica Guitierrez!) Marilyn Monroe (teacher Kathy Griffiths!), and real-life star City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, among others.

After the ceremony in the auditorium, the students and guests moved to take a tour of the new library, and where 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders received a free color picture dictionary, courtesy of the Wonder of Reading Foundation.

Our new library was finally finished after years of coordinated efforts led by Principal Furfari, and with the help of generous donors, including Silver Lake resident and Micheltorena alumna Roella Hsieh Louie, the Lakers Foundation, the offices of Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge, the Macomber Family Foundation, and dozens of community members who participated in our Adopt the Library fundraiser.  Our new library is truly a dream come true!

Bailey Magaña, Tom LaBonge and Dorothy/Principal Furfari read the dedication of the library from the City of Los Angeles.

Perfectly behaved students getting ready for the ceremony!

Friends of Micheltorena founder and parent Dorit Dowler-Guerrero with Councilmember Tom LaBonge.

Dorothy Gale/Principal Furfari with Mr. LaBonge.

Marilyn and Charlie.

Charlie and Harpo!

Charlie (this guy's everywhere!) and Parent Al Guerrero.

Dictionary give-away from Wonder of Reading: brand new dictionaries for a brand new year!

Parents Candace Ryan, Peter Healey and Hector Blanco all put on a great show as they read to the children in 30 minute shifts.  Teachers Mr. Hummer, Carillo and Moreno joined in the fun as well, with Mr. Hummer regaling the group with poems by Christina Rosetti and his furry bear slippers, and Mr. Moreno manning the bookmark making table.  Mr. Carillo acted as co-host, and sported his Cat-in-the-Hat hat!

Parent Candace Ryan reads from her own book, "Animal House."

Parent Candace Ryan's new book.

Hector Blanco reads The Cat in the Hat, in Spanish.

Mr. Hummer reads a favorite poem to the children. Please note excellent bear slippers.

Parent Peter Healey reads to a rapt group.

Bookmark making station with Mr. Moreno.

What a fun night!

The tour dates are 10-28, 11-4, 11-18, 12-2 and 12-9.  Hurry, spots are filling up fast!

Read more about our King Middle School and their magnet program here.

New school library: Micheltorena will have a new library built in rooms 20 and 21, in the Primary Building.  This library is the product of many years of fundraising and grantwriting, and is made possible by the organization Wonder of Reading and generous support from LAUSD boardmember Yolie Flores.  Our new library will boast new computers, media equipment, a “story steps” mini-amphitheatre, and an updated book collection, featuring books donated by the Friends of Silverlake Library.  Planned groundbreaking on the library is scheduled for October, with the finished library set to open its doors in December.  The Friends of Micheltorena continue to host their “Adopt the Library” fundraiser; click here for more information on how to participate.  Would you like to volunteer at the new library?  Volunteer positions include reading books to children, tutoring children in reading, and assisting the librarian with library and book organization.  Please send an email to Marilyn Missoni, School Coordinator, at mmissoni@lausd.net to apply.

New school and community garden: Starting later this fall, construction will begin on the corner of Micheltorena Street and Sunset to turn the parking lot into a garden that will serve both the school and community.  As noted in previous posts on this website, the Silverlake Neighborhood Council generously donated $10,000 to our effort in a gesture towards promoting education, sustainability, the ‘greening’ of our neighborhood, and community involvement. Please see the Garden page of this website for more information.  Fundraising also continues for the garden!  In particular, the Atwater Village restaurant Canele will be hosting a fundraiser for the Micheltorena School and Community Garden on October 18 as part of their “Closed on Mondays” fundraiser series; read more about this event here.  Please click here for more information about contributing to our school garden.

New fruit tree orchard on campus: The organization Treepeople has made the Micheltorena campus a target for a fruit tree orchard planting as part of their Trees for a Green LA program!    This very exciting program includes training school and community volunteers on the basics of tree care as part of their “Citizen Forester” training, digging up asphalt, and planting dozens of fruit trees on our campus.  The program will involve the volunteer participation of students and their families to help plant and then care for the trees.   Our tree planting event is scheduled for the middle of January, and will see close to 40 trees go into the ground, with Treepeople also donating 150 bare root fruit trees to be given to student families. The trees on campus will provide fruit for the students during their school day, as well as the community as they pass by the school.  The following teachers have signed up to receive training help act as stewards for the new orchard: Charles Kimzey, Geralyn Buschelman, and Lisa Lewis.

Micheltorena Arts Community: Since the arts are such a part vital part of the Silver Lake community and an important part of our school, Micheltorena is partnering with Blue Palm Art Culture Education, a Silver Lake-based nonprofit arts education organization, to design a sustainable, comprehensive arts plan for Micheltorena Elementary School, called the Micheltorena Arts Community (MAC).  This plan will include not only Theater, Dance, Visual Arts, and Music, but also Culinary Arts, Media Arts, and other Creative Professions.   MAC will draw on the participation of creative individuals from the local neighborhood who will share their expertise to prepare local students for the creative workplace.  Would you like to be a part of MAC?  Send Principal Furfari an email at susanna.furfari@lausd.net!

PTA: The PTA is not new, but it’s always exciting!  This year the PTA will continue to sponsor our annual Haunted House, Leprechaun Leap Dance, and Cinco de Mayo Festival, and publication of the school yearbook.  New events planned for the 2010-2011 school year include a Pancake Breakfast with the Fire Department, Micheltorena Fun Run/Walk, and Healthy Food Family Cookoff Contest.  Our meetings will be held on the first Wednesday of the month at 5pm in Room 4, just inside the school entrance.  Membership in the PTA is open to all stakeholders of Micheltorena, including future student families and community members, and is $6 for the year.  Please contact Rebecca Crane at r.h.crane@gmail.com for more information.

School lunch reform: Micheltorena is a Title 1 school, which means all students receive free lunch during the school day.  While LAUSD makes attempts to serve lunches that follow USDA nutritional guidelines, many people feel that the school lunches could be much healthier, particularly in serving more unprocessed, locally sourced foods for lunch.  A few parents at Micheltorena are working to impact long-term change in the healthfulness of lunches served in the LAUSD school system, as well as more immediate change in the school lunch served at Micheltorena.  Stay tuned for more updates!  If you would like to be involved in LAUSD school lunch reform, please visit the Food for Lunch website for more information.

The PTA is a national organization that is dedicated to promoting children’s health, well-being, and educational success through strong parent, family, and community involvement.  By getting involved in our PTA you’ll help make positive changes at our school, as well as positively impact the academic success of your child.  The Micheltorena PTA will act as a collaboration between parents, teachers and school administrators, as well as host family-centered fundraisers throughout the year to provide funds for curriculum-based programs at our school.

PTA meetings will be held on the first Wednesday of the month at 5pm, in Room 4, just inside the main entrance.  Membership is $6 for the year per person, and EVERYONE is welcome to join!  Please contact Rebecca Crane, PTA president, via email at r.h.crane@gmail.com for more information.

Learn more about the PTA at www.pta.org.

The first day of school will be a short day, and students will be dismissed at 12:19 pm.

Classroom assignments will be posted in the hall at the main entrance on the first day of school, and students will meet their teacher on the playground at 7:45 am.  There will be a brief assembly, then class will begin at 8:00 am.

Please plan to attend our PTA social on Tuesday, September 14th from 5:30 pm to 6:15 pm and our Back to School Night on Tuesday September 28th from 5:00 pm to 6:30pm.

However, our work has only just begun!  An overhaul of the school lunch program will take continued advocacy and participation of parents and the community.  Join us on August 18 at Manual Arts High School, located at 4131 S Vermont Avenue at 6:30 PM to share in a discussion about LAUSD school lunch with representatives from of the board and food services.

Join us again at the next LAUSD Board Meeting on August 31, 2010 where we will continue to advocate for whole, unprocessed, locally sourced foods for school lunches.  The LAUSD Board meeting will be held at the LAUSD building located at 4th and Beaudry in downtown Los Angeles.  Park in the Visconti Residences parking lot, entrance on Miramar Street at Boylston (parking free with LAUSD validation!) Entrance to the meeting is on 4th Street.  Together, we can do it!  We hope to see you there!

Read more about the growing movement to overhaul school lunches at www.foodforlunch.org and  www.thelunchbox.org.

Read here about some changes that have already been made to LAUSD school lunch:  http://www.healthylausd.net/Programs/harvests.aspx

Send an email to friendsofmicheltorena@earthlink.org to get on our School Lunch Action Team email list.

Students help install the garden.

Watch the ABC News piece on Micheltorena and our this new woolly garden.

Vote for Woolly School Garden in their campaign to win a $250,000 grant from Pepsi to fund and grow 250 school gardens nationwide!

Banners!

Beginning in May 2010, community businesses and organizations will have the opportunity to show their support for Micheltorena by sponsoring a banner that will be displayed on Sunset Boulevard.

Banners will be printed in high impact colors.  Donated design services will give each business the opportunity to have a custom banner made. For this introductory year, banners will cost $750 for a 3’ by 10’ banner that will remain up on our perimeter fence for 12 months.

If you are interested in sponsoring a banner for your business or cause, please call us at 323-666-2377, or email us at friendsofmicheltorena@earthlink.com.

Adopt-the-Library

Our Adopt-the-Library fundraiser is going on now!  Micheltorena was recently awarded a grant to build a new library from Wonder of Reading, a Los Angeles organization intent on increasing literacy in elementary school children.

While much of the funds for basic construction and books are included in the grant, we must raise funds to buy special tables, chairs and other items that will make our library specially suited to our school. Funds raised will also go towards future upkeep of the library, and ensure that adequate monies exist to purchase and replace books and media in the future.

The Adopt-the-Library fundraiser is an invitation from Micheltorena to the community to become part of this “dream come true” for our students. Members of the community can dedicate or “adopt” a portion of the library, with donations going to library development and book purchasing.

The fundraiser will run from March 1, 2010 to May 30, 2010.

Join us, and be a part of Micheltorena history!

To participate, please review our donation form, available here.

Items of adoption will have plaques with engraved dedications.  For shelves, plaques will be approximately 2 inches high and 4-5 inches wide.  Plaques on furniture will be appropriately sized to match the pieces and are negotiable. Options also exist to have a local artist paint your dedication as a small mural on the wall of the library.

How you can participate:
1) You can mail in the form with your choice of item adoption.  You will be contacted immediately on receipt of the form to discuss your donation.

2) Send us an email to friendsofmicheltorena@earthlink.com with your preferences based on the form.

3) Or, if you would like to discuss other donation or participation options with us, please call us at 323-666-2377, or email us at friendsofmicheltorena@earthlink.net.

We do not yet have an online donation tab, but will soon.

All donations are tax deductible and go towards a great cause, READING!

Below are some photos of other Wonder of Reading libraries, to give you an idea of how your adopted library will look.